Seek Peace

Introduction

Greet and Endear

I don’t usually tell people what the altar call for my sermon will be before the sermon starts but today I’m going to because I think God wants some people to prepare for it starting right now.

As I asked God what to preach on in this session - I just got a Word: Unforgiveness.

And in the session yesterday this really was confirmed when so many young people came up when Nick called them and shared boldly about how they were struggling with hating members of their family.

I believe God wants me to minister to this specific topic today.

When I say unforgiveness I mean all the things associated with it, I’m talking about anger, malice, hatred, bitterness. I think that these things are important to God, and these are things that God uniquely asks us to be mindful of.

1 John 4:20 “20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

This is a truly terrifying passage to me. Because it is one of those passages that seems so decisive in its authority. I just look at it and go - how can we ignore that? There’s no fancy way to interpret this that gives it deeper meaning, there’s no context we can go into that sheds light on something we’re missing.

No, it’s as simple as this - if you say you love God but hate your brother or sister, you’re a liar - you don’t actually love God. Because to love God would be to love those He made in His image.

It’s not some isolated passage without repeat either, Jesus Himself says it in the gospels. Matthew 6:14–15 “14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

To be clear - this does not mean faith is works based and that unforgiveness steals your salvation; BUT rather that it causes a relational dispute with God

Unforgiveness creates a break in relational closeness with God

What do we get from this? God cares about our relationships - and more than just that, He cares about the way we steward the relationships in our lives, all the good ones - and all the bad ones as well.

Let’s pray

PeaceMakers, not PeaceKeepers

Matthew 5:9 “9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

I want to start here because I find this to be one of the most interesting of the whole lot of beatitudes. People miss a specific detail in this verse. Namely that it doesn’t say Peace KEEPERS, it says Peace MAKERS.

What’s the difference? Peace KEEPERS keep the peace by keeping the status quo. They try to keep the existing way things are, they try to stabilise things AS THEY ARE.

This perhaps is what many people think when they read this beautitude - that we’re just called to be peaceful people. Don’t stir stuff up, don’t create a fuss, don’t rock the boat. Avoid conflict at all costs.

But a Peace MAKER is not like this at all - a peace maker fights to establish the peace. A Peace maker will actively fight to overcome evil with good - in order to achieve God’s ordained peace. They will approach conflict with the desire to bring resolution, they will confront injustice in order to achieve justice. It is an ACTIVE role.

I think this is so important to understand as Christians - that we aren’t just called to KEEP things the way they are, we’re called to BRING peace, to MAKE peace out of any situation that we find ourselves in.

And this is why I think there are passages like the ones we just read in 1 John and Matthew; because there is a mandate OVER us, as Christians, to MEND relationships, to REPAIR what is broken to ACTIVELY try to bring peace where there may be none - ESPECIALLY in the context of relationships.

Our relationships, the way we love each other are so important to God - and this is why I think He calls peace makers “sons of God” - because we fulfil what it means to be a member of God’s family. We literally pull our weight in the family, we bring the family together, we bring people INTO the family.

All are made in His Image

You know what they key is to understanding why relationships are important to God? It’s to understand that all people have been made in the image of God.

The bible says in Genesis 1:27 “27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

You know what this means? It means that all people have what is called intrinsic value. It is intrinsic because it is within us, you can’t remove it. All people are created in the image of God and THEREFORE all people have value.

This applies no matter what you think of them, no matter what they’ve done, no matter what they might say or do.

It is the basis of human law-making and social justice - all man is created equal and deserves equal rights because we have all been created in the image of God and have a value PLACED INSIDE of us because of that.

This is why the bible takes seemingly “small” things like gossip and slander so seriously. Because when we do these things we are violating someone made in God’s image - we are violating the image of God.

James 3:8–9 “8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.”

This is why relationships, the way we treat others, is such a serious deal in the bible - because God has ordained that EVERY PERSON has value in them. Doesn’t matter how rich, poor, tall, small, young, old - everyone has value. This is CRUCIAL to understand.

ILLUSTRATION: Attacking Others, Hurting Jesus

A young lady named Sally took a seminary class taught by Professor Smith, who was known for his elaborate object lessons. One day Sally walked into class to find a large target placed on the wall, with several darts resting on a nearby table. Professor Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone they disliked or someone who had made them angry—and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture.

Sally's friend (on her right), drew a picture of another woman who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend (on her left), drew a picture of his younger brother. Sally drew a picture of Professor Smith, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on his face! She was quite pleased at the overall effect she'd achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts amidst much laughter. Some of the students threw with such force that they ripped apart their targets. But Sally, looking forward to her turn, was filled with disappointment when Professor Smith asked the students to return to their seats so he could begin his lecture. As Sally fumed about missing her chance to throw the darts, the professor began removing the target from the wall.

Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled image of their Savior—holes and jagged marks covered his face. His eyes were virtually pierced out.

Professor Smith only said these words from Matthew 25:40 ‘Truly, I say to you, whatever you have done for the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

Everyone in the image of God. When we attack others, we hurt Jesus too.

The Curse of Unforgiveness

Matthew 18:23–35 “23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and…”

The reason unforgiveness is such a significant sin is BECAUSE WE have been forgiven of our sins.

When we refuse to forgive others what we are actually showing is that we have taken for granted God’s forgiveness of OUR sins.

And OUR debt against God (much like the first servant) was FAR greater than the debt of the second servant (which is the debt between us and other people)

In other words it’s the highest form of hypocrisy if we choose not to forgive someone else - if we choose to leave relational rifts, especially within family, especially within the context of the church. It literally FRACTURES our relationship with God.

Man - we live in an age of cancel culture, where we just find somethign wrong with everyone, it’s like we’re almost trained to find the bad in people.

On top of that we also live in an age of offense where we get so easily offended by everything and anything

This is an attack on the enemy - he’s just cultivating an environment and a culture where unforgiveness THRIVES.

Called to fight for Peace

So how do we possibly win in this sort of environment? The power to forgive comes from the REVELATION of forgiveness: 1 John 4:19 “19 We love because he first loved us.”

We don’t love out of our OWN strength, we can’t - we don’t have the capacity. We don’t forgive out of our own strength, we can’t - we don’t have the capacity. We have to rely on God’s strength that He gives us in order to love those that we are called to love. The power to forgive is not within us - it comes from God.

John 14:27 “27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

We’re not called to fight with just our natural thoughts, and our natural emotions. That is a battle that you will not win. Do you know why? Because forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation. Sometimes you go to forgive someone and they spit in your face. You can’t fight that with your own strength. It’s impossible to live up to the biblical mandate if we’re relying on our own strength.

But that’s why Scripture provides us with the answers too - it’s not our own strength, God gives us the love, God gives us the peace, God gives us the ability to forgive and to overcome.

If we want to be able to forgive then we must have a source of peace and love that we can forgive from - and that is something that is RECEIVED, not ACHIEVED.

We can’t make peace if we don’t have it in the first place.

ILLUSTRATION: African Woman Forgives

I actually used to find forgiveness quite a hard thing to do - Until I saw this video online about A South African woman stood in an emotionally charged courtroom, listening to white police officers acknowledge the atrocities they had perpetrated in the name of apartheid.

Officer van de Broek acknowledged his responsibility in the death of her son. Along with others, he had shot her 18-year-old son at point-blank range. He and the others partied while they burned his body, turning it over and over on the fire until it was reduced to ashes.

Eight years later, van de Broek and others arrived to seize her husband. A few [hours] later, shortly after midnight, van de Broek came to fetch the woman. He took her to a woodpile where her husband lay bound. She was forced to watch as they poured gasoline over his body and ignited the flames that consumed his body. The last words she heard her husband say were "Forgive them."

Now, van de Broek stood before her awaiting judgment. South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission asked her what she wanted.

"I want three things," she said calmly. "I want Mr. van de Broek to take me to the place where they burned my husband's body. I would like to gather up the dust and give him a decent burial.

"Second, Mr. van de Broek took all my family away from me, and I still have a lot of love to give. Twice a month, I would like for him to come to the ghetto and spend a day with me so I can be a mother to him.

"Third, I would like Mr. van de Broek to know that he is forgiven by God, and that I forgive him, too. I would like someone to lead me to where he is seated, so I can embrace him and he can know my forgiveness is real."

As the elderly woman was led across the courtroom, van de Broek fainted, overwhelmed. Someone began singing "Amazing Grace." Gradually everyone joined in.

This woman understood what it means to be a peacemaker. Can I tell you something, that’s not her peace. That’s not her forgiveness, that came from the Lord

Altar Call

Can I share with you something? Yesterday when Nick did that altar call it really broke my heart - there are so many of you guys struggling with unforgiveness against family.

And I’m in no way saying that it’s your fault, I’m so sorry that this is happening to you.

But God has called you to be a peacemaker, God has called you to be the one to mend things.

Forgiveness may very well be a one way street

ACTIVITY: Open phone - type a message and get ready to send it if you want to respond. Maybe respond if you send it? and then come forward for prayer.